Choji's Heartbreak
by Serenity Hidden
Summary: Poor Choji. Drunken in a bar, he pours out his troubles to Shikamaru. What can our favorite lazy ninja do?


**I do not own Naruto. Those who think otherwise need to get a reality check. While you're there, get me one too.  
**

Shikamaru Nara walked into the seedy ninja tavern that was near his new house. Scanning the room, he spotted one of his old teammates from when he was a genin sitting by himself in a corner table. Frowning, he wandered over to where his friend Choji was sitting. Taking a seat next to Choji, he let out a sigh.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru looked over for a reaction. Nothing. "Hey Choji what's going on?" Getting no reaction, he snapped his fingers in front of Choji's face.

"Huh, what? Oh, it's you Shikamaru."

"Yeah, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Yeah," he sighed. "I just needed to get away for a minute. I can't really believe Su likes someone else…"

"Oh," Shikamaru looked away.

He had known that Choji had liked the girl that they had met on a recent mission, and Choji had professed himself to be in love, but he had assumed that it was just a passing fancy. He had been disabused of that notion when Choji had proposed to Su when they were about to leave the village. She had been kind enough to gently refuse him and reveal that she was engaged to one of the young men of the village. Choji had donned an expressionless face, but to those who knew him it was easy to see that he was deeply hurt by the refusal.

Ever since he was a child he had had self-esteem problems, with some of the other children of the village rejecting him for being overweight. When Shikamaru had stood up for him that had stopped, but that rejection still resounded in the depths of Choji's gentle naïve soul. "_Any team that has you on it's bound to lose." _Cruel words, spoken by children, that still affected Choji's confidence and self-respect.

"Yeah, women are a drag like that."

Choji grunted. "How's Temari?"

"She's fine; right now she's trying to decide what colors to paint the walls of our new house."

Choji gave a half smile. "Bet she keeps on changing her mind, huh?"

"Yeah, it's troublesome."

"I wish Su could have done that for my house…"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Comeon Choji, there are plenty of nice women out there."

"None like Su." He let out a forlorn sigh.

"Oh, get over it. You're acting like you're heartbroken. You barely knew her for a week." Shikamaru knew he was acting cruel, but he wasn't about to let his best friend mope about over a little female that didn't deserve Choji anyway.

"I am heartbroken! And I shall treasure that week in my memory forever."

"Yeah right, you're not heart broken."

"I am!" he placed his hand on his torso, "I know because my heart really hurts."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Um, Choji, I can guarantee that you're **not **heartbroken."

"…?"

"Look at where it actually hurts, not where you think it hurts." Choji looked down at his hand, which was placed firmly on his stomach. It let out an audible growl. He chuckled and looked sheepish. "Heh, well I did skip breakfast this morning after all… And I don't think I had lunch either."  
"Come on, lets get you home." Shikamaru helped his large friend get up. "If you didn't eat breakfast, your folks are probably frantic by now, wondering if you collapsed from starvation somewhere."

"OK," Choji slurred and exhaled a lungful of more than slightly alcohol-saturated air in Shikamaru's general direction. "You know, you're so lazy… but you still manage to manipulate everyone into doing what you want."

"Yeah everyone except my mom. She's just impervious to everything. I even tried hypnotism once, she just shrugged it off and asked why I was swinging a pendulum in front of her face…" They laughed as walked off, Shikamaru regaling Choji with various family stories.

And the last ray of the setting sun illuminated Choji's face for a moment, revealing his restored good humor.  
Shikamaru gave a small smile. _Mission accomplished. _

_**AN: When I conceived this idea, I was wondering what Choji would be like in love. After all, love brings out the best and worst in people. I heard the gurgle of liquid and well... the rest is history. Or rather, his story.**_


End file.
